Four Fields

“Sprawling in its descriptions of nature and of the histories that inform each of the places he visits, Dee’s work defies linearity.…Lyrical and thought–provoking…” — Kirkus

“…exceptional book of sharp observation, ardent research, exquisite language, and persuasive appreciation.…Dee infuses each page with an astonishing fecundity of stories about innovation, folly, crime, and revelation, forever transforming our perception of civilization’s seedbeds and graves.” —Booklist, Starred

“Through metaphor, literature, and history, the author shares how humans have shaped the fields of the world and how nature has responded over time. VERDICT: A lyrical exploration of four very different fields that will appeal to readers interested in our influence on the natural world.” —Library Journal

“…grand nature–writing tradition…Dee interlaces careful descriptions of his experience of being in these spaces with the human history that turned these lands to agricultural use and then permitted nature to reclaim them, winding lyrical stories of the interaction between person and place, history and physicality. Equally at ease with people, birds, and old guidebooks…” —Publishers Weekly

“Four Fields is an enthralling and unexpected book – or four short books – about what we have made of the natural world. The language itself is rich and loamy. There is evidence of much thought here, as well as a naturalist’s profound observation. It is proof that really, there is no such thing as “nature writing” – Dee gives us the wide world and everything in it, including ourselves and all our works.” —The Guardian

“”Four Fields” is about far more than pieces of earth; it is a summary of humanity’s aspirations.” —The Economist